


Strangers in the Night

by HannabeanLynn



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Carmilla - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Broody Carmilla, College, Demonology, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Grumpy Carmilla, Human/Vampire Relationship, Humor, Journalist Laura Hollis, Laura Hollis/Carmilla Karnstein Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Occult, POV Carmilla, POV Laura, Secrets, Silas University, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Smut, Tiny Gay Laura Hollis, Vampire Bites, Vampire Carmilla, Vampire Sex, vampire will luce
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-01-04 12:57:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18344141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannabeanLynn/pseuds/HannabeanLynn
Summary: Lauras mother attended Silas university as the schools head of the Occult Studies program. After her disappearance and assumed death, Laura has always felt compelled to see where her mother spent so many years pursuing her many passions, and a dire need to investigate it and her mothers hidden past. It’s Lauras first year at Silas University, and between leaving home for the first time and ending her relationship of two years with Danny, she really doesn’t know what to expect once she reaches campus. There’s a really creepy castle 20 miles out from campus that Kirsch says is the supposed “Karnstein Castle” which always seems to have creepy fog surrounding it. Also her TA for history is a complete ASS. AND so is her TA for philosophy. Why? Because they are the SAME person! Who the hell does this broody pale wannabe punk chick think she is?





	1. Road to Silas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HannabeanLynn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannabeanLynn/gifts).



> Chapter song: Big Lie- Joyce Manor  
> While Laura is en-route to Silas, she dodges annoying calls from her ex while driving through dense fog and spotting creepy castles.  
> **this is my first chapter and it is a bit short so bare with me I promise to make it worth your while!! Next chapter will be much, much longer. Kind of wanted to see how it goes before I put my heart and soul into it. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK PLEASE**
> 
> *also I updated the chapter. I really couldn't handle how short it was*

Laura  
\---  
"Your mom would have wanted you to have this," he says.  
You fold the last shirt into your duffel bag and shift your eyes to the ring your dad gently places on your night stand before he lets out a gentle hum. "It was-"

"Her mothers, yeah, I remember it." you say and he smiles crookedly as he runs a hand through his hair. "I know you're not much for jewelry, but I figured since you're leaving it would be nice for you to have a piece of her with you at Silas."

"Its nice. Thanks dad." You try your best to give him a warm smile before putting the ring into a small pocket of your backpack, hoping he doesn't question why you didn't put it on your finger instead. 

It was your grandmothers ring that had been passed to your mother at about the same age you are now after she died, and now you guess it seems only right that it gets handed to you under the same circumstances.

Its been a year but you cant seem to embrace the idea of casually wearing her things just yet. You also can't blame yourself for not wanting to wear something that almost feels like a physical manifestation of your death sentence. 

You watch your dad awkwardly shift around your bed to give you a hug and you try not to to think about it too much because, well, leaving home hasn't really hit you yet and you'd like to keep it that way as long as you can.

"Call me when you get there," you try your best to ignore the sadness in his voice and embrace the last time you'll get to hug your dad for a long time.

"Did you get everything packed? I put a can of bear spray on the kitchen counter for you, you probably won't need it but who knows." you try not to laugh too'  
hard because you know he's serious, and you love him for it, but you can't help yourself. 

"I'll make sure to keep it by my side as I'm writing columns in the wilderness." you joke, and he releases you from his embrace and winks playfully

"That's my girl."  
..................

It's a long drive to Silas University but you don't mind because southern Austria is probably the best place for a road trip. The sun is just starting to rise and a grim fog  
encompasses the spruce covered limestone mountains, hills and valleys that surround you. You'd like to think that you're really going to miss home, but you'd be lying if you said you weren't dreaming of moving away from the suburbs down to the eerie vast land of Styria ever since you visited Silas as a kid. Your mother was a student there before she became head of the occult studies department, and she would tell you stories about the myths and legends that run deep in the history of the college and the old castles not far from it. You think that's what got you so interested in journalism. You've never been able to accept that the world you live in is simply mundane. There's always a curtain that veils a mystery, or a page torn out to hide the truth of whatever the world wants you to believe is ordinary or conventional. Its your right-no, your job to expose it. 

Your train of thought derails when your phone buzzes and the caller-id sends your eyes rolling to the back of your skull.

Danny.

"Listen, I'm only answering because I would feel bad if I didn't. I would really appreciate it if you stopped calling."

Her breathing pauses and for a second you find relief in thinking what you said made her hang up.  
But you're not that naive.

"Just tell me what happened, Laura. Give me something more than 'There's just something missing' or 'I need time to figure things out'"

You stare at the Doctor Who dice hanging from your rear-view mirror and try to think of saying something you haven't repeated eighty times, but you lose. Instead, your attention shifts to the mountain in the distance where you see the fog growing denser and the shape of what looks like the ruins of an immensely old castle.  
Its around twenty miles west of your direction of travel, and for a split second you have the urge to turn on the farm road leading directly to its path, but the ruins soon vanish behind the spruce trees that now enclose the road, and the feeling submerges.

And then you realize its been five minutes and thankfully Danny has been too busy rambling about our break-up to notice your absence.

"It's just, a week before we were supposed to move in and start a new life in a new place you just flip it all upside-down and I just don't get it. I think I deserve more  
of an explanation. I hate forcing this on you, but I'm just a little, well I'm pretty fucking lost."

"I know," you start, and you realize the fog is getting worse as you drive through the forested valley and now you have two things to stress about.

"Look, Danny, I'm driving. I know you want answers and I want to give them to you. I just, like, I don't really have any right now. I wish I did. And I wish  
this didn't have to be so confusing for you, or, well, for me either. Just give me a day, or whatever. I'll be at Silas in an hour and we can meet up  
for coffee if you want and maybe clear things up."  
The invitation slips from your mouth before you can stop and you instantly wish you could take it back. You haven't taken the time to piece together your thoughts  
and feelings over what happened between the two of you, and you're certainly not ready to talk about them over coffee. 

"Okay, I'd like that. Just let me know when you get to campus and please drive safe, it's supposed to be foggy for the rest of the day." 

"I'll call you once I've unpacked." You hang up and notice that you're now on a bridge driving over what seems like a dam, but with all the fog its hard to discern between water and trees. You pass a sign and feel relieved when you read the words Silas University-20 Miles because A. You hope the fog clears up as you get closer to the campus and B. you have twenty miles to figure out what to tell Danny.

Your phone immediately begins buzzing again. You let out a huff of frustration and answer it.

"Dan-we've said all we can say for now, pleas-" 

Your plea is instantly interrupted by loud, obnoxious singing and you're happy to realize Danny isn't trying to drive you off this bridge and into whatever-the-hell abyss lies beneath you. 

The singing stops. "Yowtch!" he exclaims in his best impersonation of Spyro. "I'd hate to be whoever that was meant for. Hi Laura."

"You know who it was mean't for, but I'd rather not talk about it at the moment. Hi Kirsch. You reach the campus yet? This fog is crazy."

"Laura. I left for Silas two days ago. I've been here," he laughs. "but you couldn't possibly know that because you did that thing where you pretend to not see any of my calls or texts for, oh, I dunno, a week."

"Shit." you say, squeezing your eyelids shut in shame. "I'm sorry, you know I get caught up in things when I'm stressed. And it was not a week," you protest. "It was probably more like two or three days." You roll your eyes at yourself, knowing it was probably a week.

"Sure," you hear the mockery in his voice. "I'll buy that. But hey, you know I don't care. You could ignore me for, like, five whole weeks and I'd still be here. I know how you work. I don't need an explanation." his words comfort you and bring a smile to your face. You still feel bad, but you know he understands and you admire him for it. 

"Anyway, hurry the frick up and get here already, I miss you. Where are you?"

"No clue, I'm about twenty miles from Silas. I just passed this really old looking castle thing like ten minutes ago, and the fog is too thick to see much of anything now."

He hums for a solid ten seconds before speaking words. "You mean the Karnstein castle? I passed by it too. Pretty creepy right?"

"Karnstein castle?" you say, surprised by his knowledge of it having only lived in the area for three days. "What do you know about it?"

"Nothing really. There was a sign next to the farm road that leads to it, you must have missed it. Anyway, I was on the phone with my dad when I saw it and  
he said something about it being super old and that it's a dangerous area, which to me, means haunted. Apparently some kids from the college went camping  
over there on Halloween and a few died from some animal attack. Spooky stuff."

"Animal attack? Like a bear?" you can't help but remember the feeling you got when it caught your gaze. You make a mental note to do some research when after your  
coffee talk with Danny. (You also make a mental note to leave that information out of your "So how was the ride to campus? See anything cool?" phone conversation with your overprotective father who would go absolutely nuts)

Kirsch hums again. "Not exactly. One of the girls that survived described it as some kind black panther thing. That's all I really know laur. So, are you gunna  
hurry the frick up or what?"

Black panther thing. Odd. You make a mental note of that too.

"Kirsch. I've gone, like, three miles since I last told you. I'm going as fast as this fog will let me. I'll call you when I get to the campus."

You hear his long sigh through the phone and roll your eyes. "I can hardly see the road, I need to not die before the first day of class."

"Please don't do that. I would be way too sad and you would be dead. Not cool. Be safe and call me when you get here, okay?"

"Will do, Kirsch."

You hang up and through your phone into the passenger seat, making sure it lands face down, only because enough time has passed for Danny to either text or call you again and all you really wanna do is focus on the road and figure out how you're going to explain yourself to her.

It's not that you stopped caring, because you still do. You and Danny had a great relationship, and she was a great girlfriend to you. She was everything she needed to be  
especially after your mom died, and for some reason, you hate to think it, but you don't feel as if it were enough. You always felt like something was missing.  
And there was, but not with her-there was something missing and it all had to do with you. You can't pinpoint it but you know that something in you is lacking.  
And you know it has been like this for a while. You thought it was only a problem when you dated men, but you figured that whole mess out and nothing has changed.

Maybe this is something more than just a relationship problem. The thought that maybe you have some serious mental problem passes by and you're quick to dismiss it.

You spend a good sum of the rest of your trip looking out into the woods as the fog clears up. There's something quite mysterious and majestic about this place you're about to call home,  
and you make a mental note to do some exploring once you get comfortable around campus-after you've done your research on the Karnstein castle, of course.

\----------------------------

"Holy hufflepuff!" you loudly exclaim with wide eyes.  
You think you must have been asleep on every road trip to see your mother at Silas, because when you reach the college, it's unlike anything you have ever seen.  
Amongst the other castle-like structures you passed on the way here, Silas is far bigger, and what looks to be far much older, you can tell, by the limestone exterior walls that look like they date back to the 1400's. The castle looks to be far older than any bone left in the worlds soil. From a distance, the college looks like a giant mass of gray stone, but as you get closer you notice each stone varies in size, shape, and even color. It is absolutely beautiful. The castle itself is surrounded by spruce and fir trees, and there are other similarly built structures surrounding it that you assume are also a part of Silas. One of the more archaic-type buildings has a small moat surrounding it, with a limestone and wooden bridge crossing it as the only way to enter.  
"Oooooo. Fancy!" you say to yourself out loud and giggle, while making a mental note to definitely explore that during your first week.

As you drive through the massive campus, you notice the familiar buildings and that your mother worked in. You feel a rush of nostalgia and can't help but feel a tad bit sad that you never got to visit your mother when you grew older.  
You wish you could have seen what she was like when she was in her element, teaching courses and mentoring students in her research. The nostalgia really kicks in when you pass what looks to be a giant old Gothic styled church, but you know what it is because that's where your mother took you most as a child-the library. Just before you start getting emotional your phone starts buzzing again and this time you make sure to check the caller-ID before answering, and you can't help but sigh in relief. 

"Yes, Kirsch, I'm here and before you get all excited golden retriever-y on me I can't meet up for awhile. I have to unpack and then I have to sort things out with Danny."

"WHAAAAAT?! NOOOOOOO!" He cries, which seems to go on far too long before he actually speaks in 'adult'.

"Didn't you already do all that stuffy stuff?? What more could Summer psycho tall hottie meanie want?" He asks in the whiniest voice he can muster. Okay, so still not so adult yet.

"Ugh, I don't know, closure? She wants to like, understand why it happened the way it did. But I don't even know if I know that! I'm just hoping that this third little talk is the charm and I can put all this behind me." You shake your head and sigh. 

"Ahhh okay. Welp, fingers crossed, L! If I find a magic genie I'll see if I can wish all this crappy crap away. No promises though. Good luck!"  
You let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, okay. Fingers crossed. I'll stop by later I promise!" You hang up and finally reach your destination: the Honors hall district. 

You giggle in excitement.  
"Welp, thank you high school me for getting grades good enough to land me in the freaking historical, fancy ass hall district!!" You hope you can keep up the grades to stay in it, of course.

You find parking without a struggle since classes still don't start for another 3 days and start gathering your things. You are carrying so much that you are now two feet taller and have to peek your head to the side to actually see where you're going. 

"Holy smokes!" you think to yourself as you lose your gaze at the massive dormitory hall. It's basically a small castle in itself and you almost find yourself hypnotized by it  
-that is until life comes crashing down your feet- well, 'life' as in all of your stuff.

"Shit!" You hear just as you lose your footing and fall along with the rest of your belongings. 

"Ouuu-"

"What the hell are you doing? Ever heard of multiple trips?" an obviously pissed off voice says above you.

You quickly get on your feet as you realize you basically rammed half of your apartment into someone. 

Oops.

"Oh my-wow, um, I'm so sorry It's just me- and I-well I thought I could-I" You get cut off again from your perfectly formed sentence and your face starts to get hot from embarrassment.

"Yeah, whatever." She says, and your eyes finally adjust to the angry figure in front of you.

She's wearing black, ripped up jeans and an Iron Maiden shirt with the sleeves cut off and a pair of RayBan sunglasses. And wow you've never seen a girl with that dark of hair and that pale of skin all at once. And its kind of attractive-

Okay, really attractive.

"Can you get that?" The raven haired girl says as you notice she has effortlessly picked up all of your things without a sweat. 

You're confused. You look around for what she could be talking about and you can tell shes getting impatient.

"On the ground. The cigarette, cupcake. Jesus, did all this shit fall on your pretty little head?" she huffs.

Your face gets hot again but this time with anger.

"Look, it was an accident, I didn't even see you. I don't know who raised you to be such a freaking asshole but-" Once again, cut off.

"Yeah, yeah we all know sweetie. The cigarette please. Or you can carry all this on your own." She starts walking towards the dormitory halls and you're left standing there in shock.

Who the hell?

Okay so attractive but a first class asshole. 

"Wait a minute-" You hesitate, but pick up the half smoked cigarette off the ground, partially disgusted but too confused to care.  
You start following her as if she's got a string attached to you.

"I never asked you to-"

"I never asked you to dump all your shit on me cupcake so let me go ahead and prevent your clumsy self from doing it again."

Still, in shock.

"Why won't you let me talk?! Ugh! I am _not_ clumsy?!"  
(okay but yes you are but she doesn't even know you and you wont let her have that.) 

She chuckles as she sets the things at the main entrance and grabs the cigarette from your hand and takes a long drag.

"Okay, sweetheart. Talk." She tilts her head up and blows smoke up into the air.

You huff in frustration. 

"I-I could have carried that, you know." Is all you can seem to get out and you are rolling your eyes in your head in embarrassment because obviously you could not.

"Oh, I know. I was just bored and not at all minding my own business when it all came crashing down into my lap." She takes another long drag.

"It's whatever. I have to check you in anyway."

More confusion.

"Check me in...?"

"I'm the honors hall director, cutie." She blows out a cloud of smoke.

"Oh-OH, Ms. Karns? You're who I had to email for the hall transfer process?"

"Mmmhmm. That's me." She throws her cigarette butt on the ground, putting it out with her black leather lace up boots and starts to head for the entrance. "I'll get your stuff after I get you checked in."

\------  
Carmilla  
\------  
"Will, how many times do I have to tell you this." You pause and take a drag from your cigarette.

"You can't feed on Summer Society chicks. They will start a fucking riot."

"Chill out, Kitty. You worry too much. Mother hasn't been here in decades and you'd think you'd learn how to live a little since then."

You scoff. 

"That's not what this is about. The semester hasn't even started and with how few students there are you really aren't doing the best at being discrete. Ever since last year you know there's been all kinds of shit going around about attacks. I would think you'd be a little less ignorant by now."

"Woah, Jesus Kitty. I get it okay? Just calm down a bit. I'll take it down a notch. You might wanna brush your tail there its all puffed out, kit kat." He laughs.

Fucking Will.

"Stop fucking calling me that. You know I hate it. And I don't have a tail. Not right now at least." You take a long drag of your cigarette.

"There ya go, that's the kitty I know and love" 

You can practically hear him smirking through the phone.  
You exhale the smoke.  
"Whatever. Listen, someone just pulled up, I gotta go. Stop being an idiot and get yourself a nice bunny or something till school starts back up."  
You hang up the phone. 

"Jesus." You say as you take another drag and start walking back towards the hall. 

As you're walking your phone starts to buzz again and you see that it's Mattie. You smirk and exhale the smoke and right as you're about to answer the call you crash-well, _something_ crashes into you and hopefully whoever is on the side of whatever the hell they are carrying can't see that the pile of junk hardly even phased you.

"Shit!" You look down to see a bunch of random apartment belongings and a very tiny, _very_ clumsy brown haired girl below you.

Unfortunately, you have a bit of a temper and you get her all angerly flustered to a point she can't make complete sentences. You have to admit, it's kind of cute.

She tries her best to put up a fight with her words and you start to feel bad for the girl so you bring her stuff to the entrance and set it down in a way so it doesn't look like what you're holding is made of feathers. 

You take a drag of the cigarette she picked up for you and finally give her a chance to speak.

"I-I could have carried that, you know." She says with a huff.

Oh, yes. She is definitely cute.


	2. The Edge of Doom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carmilla learns Lauras name and immediately knows who she is. How did she not recognize the resemblance sooner? From getting flustered and frustrated over her hall director to her overly-emotional talk with Danny, she decides to take up an offering from Kirsch and forget about things for the night. Also, Carmilla is done with Wills shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the comments and kudos! This means a lot because this is the first fic I have ever written! I use my twin sisters Ao3 account because I was too lazy to get an invitation. Lol. But follow me on tumblr and feel free to message me or ask me any questions or give input/suggestions for the fic. I'm open to anything and everything. crapajawea.tumblr.com. This fic might be moving a little slow because I'm trying to get the characters introduced adequately, but don't worry. Things are about heat the fuck up!! Plot wise and..ya know. Laura's face.

"Give me a second and I'll get the paper work ready for you. Uh, feel free to look around, or whatever." You mumble in the most emotionless manner. 

The brown haired girl nods and starts to wonder around the lobby, shifting her gaze to the paintings, old fancy furniture and other various artifacts around the first floor. 

If you could have it your way, you would be living far from the campus, somewhere remote and in the woods. Most likely with a glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigarette in the other on most nights. But, alas, you are here. In charge of college students and their personal lives. Not quite your cup of tea but its convenient for the occasional snack and warm bed, which is never something you complain about. And the free tuition and cost of living is definitely not complaint-worthy. So for now, it will suffice. 

You start sorting through the necessary documents to be filled out and bring out a list of names for move-ins today. 

"Alright, I just need you to sign a couple of documents and then I can give you your key and escort you to your room."  
The girl is staring at one of the paintings near the dormitory corridors and you can tell she has no idea you opened your mouth. 

"It's Samuel Colmans 'Edge of Doom', which is currently where I am right now until you finish this paperwork so I can go home, creampuff."  
Her wide eyes flash in your direction and her face is beat red. 

"Oh! Crap. I'm so sorry!" She hurries in your direction. "That was just like, super intense and I've never seen anything like it. This place is like a creepy museum or something."   
She nervously giggles.

"I guess that's one way to put it. Or you just haven't cultured yourself in classic dark romanticism, which I take it not many people have. Anyway, what was your name again? I couldn't find it in the email thread." 

"Oh," She pauses for a moment.  
"Uh, Laura." The tone of the voice softens and you raise your eyebrow. 

"Laura...?" What's gotten into this girl? 

"Hollis." 

Oh. 

And that is all you can think at the moment. A Particularly long moment.

"Ummmm. Ms. Karns?" The brown haired girl asks, obviously confused at your blank expression, utter silence, and lack of movement of your body. 

But then you see her smiling nervously and then it hits you so hard and why didn't you see it in the first place? 

It's her daughter. 

You take a few seconds to adjust your brain and gather words. Or word. 

"Carmilla." 

"Who?" She's obviously still confused. Why wouldn't she be? You shake the trance out of your brain and revert back to your previous, less shocked state. 

"Me. Uh, yeah. I literally couldn't think of anything worse than having both a title and my family name used as a form of my identity. Carmilla is fine, sundance." 

You start searching the list of residents. Okay so Laura...H-" Okay so yeah you're going to avoid saying that. "Here you are. Room 307. Let me get your key and then I can show you to your room. This place is basically a labyrinth so you might get lost a few times your first couple weeks." 

You grab her room key and start leading to her up the stairs. 

"Try to keep up," you say as you pick up basically half of her room in the form random junk. "There's going to be a tad bit of walking." 

You can't help but smirk at her concerned-struck face as you say that.  
\-------  
Laura  
\-------  
Did she just say the words "lost" and "couple of weeks" in the same sentence? And a 'bit of walking'? Was that a smirk? And why was she acting all weird a minute ago? 

Well, you could say the same thing about yourself. It just, it's only been a year since your mothers passing and not only are you basically living in the same place she spent years of her life, but these people are also...and probably have been for a while. So you can't and won't blame yourself for being hesitant to expose yourself as the daughter of one of the most well-known professors and researchers at the college...who is now dead. You're not ready for that and you don't think they are either. 

"Uhh, how big is this place?" You ask, mesmerized by all the corridors and stairs you have climbed not to mention the dozens of rooms and openings you have passed. 

She chuckles. "The college itself is the largest in Austria. I'd say about 400 to 600 acres. The Honors District is probably around 50,000 square feet, which is basically about the size of Spis Castle in eastern Slovokia which is one of the largest in central Europe. It definitely takes up a good portion of the college, but with good reason. This place is older than everything else at Silas." 

You are completely amazed and a little impressed at how much she knows and how well she can hold a conversation while navigating through the hall with half of your entire life in her hands. 

"Is that why you work here?" You ask, curiously. "You seem to know anything and everything about this place." 

She sighs 

"Oh, most definitely not, sweetheart. Being in charge of elitist college students is sadly not my ultimate career of choice nor my passion. I guess you can say I've studied history for a while and osmosis kind of settled in at some point. But, this pays the bills, not to mention tuition. Otherwise I wouldn't be so keen on carrying a truck load of whatever the hell this shit is up three flights of ancient, stone stairwells. Sorry to disappoint." 

Jesus, is she always this broody? 

"I told you I could carry it. I'm not weak, just clumsy." you admit, trying not to sound as frustrated as you are at her obviously apparent attitude. 

She chuckles and smirks. "Not what you said when you tried to put up a fight in the parking lot, if I remember correctly. And that bunched up little face you make when you're angry is hilarious, buttercup." 

You roll your eyes, There's no use giving her the satisfaction of letting her get under your skin. 

You let out a huff. It's just so hard. 

"You know, you-" 

"Ah, here we are, 307." Damn, she's too good at that interrupting thing. You notice that you're a little out of breath from the stair-climbing and hall walking yet Carmilla hasn't even broken a sweat and she has to be caring at least 40 pounds. You didn't take her as the weight lifting type.  
You try not to think about this sarcastic, broody asshole working out and what not. 

Nope. 

Not gonna happen, Laura. 

You look at the regal-like, recessed door entrance. The door itself is made out of a beautiful dark colored wood and has the most detailed design around the perimeter that looks to be some sort of vine. Whoever build this place had to be an incredible artist, not to mention gifted with serious patience. 

"This is beautiful," You say in awe. 

"It's black walnut," She says as she paces your things beside the door. "That's what most of the honors districts wood is made from. And the carpenters favorite woody plant species was a native European vine called English ivy, which is what the design is. It is indeed quite alluring." 

You nod your head in agreement. It is. 

You're also still stunned and yet curious of Carmillas knowledge about the history and details of the college. You can't help but wonder how much she really does know... 

Your eyes then shift to the two small name plates on the door with both your name and someone elses'. 

"Is Susan my roommate?" You ask. 

"Ah, shit. Fucking stubborn red head." She runs her fingers through her jet-black hair and then rips the plate off the door frame. 

"Nope. Wrong name on the plate. You're floor don isn't the best at taking directions. You'll have the pleasure of meeting her and your roommate, Lafontaine, most likely tomorrow morning. Good luck with all that," 

"Anyway, here's your key. If anythings wrong with the room let me know and I can get someone to fix it. Other than that, welcome to Silas, Laura." 

Hearing her say your name instead of something edible is odd and unfortunately makes your face flush a little, but you're definitely going to ignore that. 

"Uh, thank you, Carmilla. I'll be sure to let you know." You smile a bit awkwardly and kind of stand there for a second before you realize you're the one with the key in your freaking hands and _YOU_ have to unlock the door, not her. 

So you spin around awkwardly, squeezing your eyes shut in embarrassment and fumble with the key for a few seconds before you actually manage to let yourself in. 

Dammit, Laura. Why are you like this? You hear her chuckle as she leaves the corridor. 

You roll your eyes. 

Just move on. 

\--- 

"Wow," Is all you can say when you first step inside. The room is fully furnished with old, yet well kept furniture made of the same wood as the door, you assume because, well, it's beautiful. The room is set up with a bed at each side, along with bedside tables and study desks. There's a small kitchenette right as you walk in to the left and an archway leading to the bedroom. 

"I could definitely get used to this." You say to yourself as you start bringing in your things and unpacking. 

Setting up your cozy little study desk area gets interrupted when your phone starts buzzing. 

Danny. 

Thankfully it's a text. 

**3:14pm**  
**Danny:**  
**Let me know when you've finished unpacking. I'm free whenever.**

You sigh. 

Might as well take my time. 

\--------- 

\------  
Will  
\------ 

"Woah, Jesus Kitty. I get it okay? Just calm down a bit. I'll take it down a notch. You might wanna brush your tail there its all puffed out kit kat." You laugh. 

You have to admit getting under her skin brings you such a satisfaction nothing else can match. Being the younger and tad weaker vampire, you have to compensate by being an asshole every now and then. Plus, she gets to be plenty asshole enough for the both of you on a regular day anyway. 

"Stop fucking calling me that," She starts. "You know I hate it. And I don't have a tail. Not right now at least." You hear her take a long drag from her cigarette. 

"There ya go, that's the kitty I know and love" You smirk because you hear the worlds largest sigh on the other end of the phone. You can practically smell the cigarette smoke. 

She makes a few more angry statements before she hangs up. 

"Alright, sweetness," You say as you walk back into the room. "You should probably leave before the hall director shows up. She's kind of a bitch about girls being around the non-coed part of the hall district. Well, she's kind of a bitch in general." You laugh. You're not wrong. But you love her for it. 

"Awwww, I was having fun!" She giggles. 

"You're cute." You grab her jacket from the desk chair and open it up for her to slide into. She gets up from the bed with a smile. 

"I had fun, William." she says playfully. 

But William is what mother called you and you'd rather be dead-dead than un-dead than hear that ever again. 

"Will." you insist. 

You put the jacket around her and then gently place a hand on her cheek and deeply look into her eyes. You smile. 

"Now, if anyone asks about this right here," you brush your thumb over a fresh bite mark on her neck while holding her gaze with your focused eyes.  
"It's a hickey. Keep a band-aid on it and wear a scarf for the next week. And if anyone see's it, especially those summer psycho freak friends of yours, you got into a cat fight with some girls from another sorority or whatever. Got all that?" 

"Yes." 

"Good. Now where were you for the past two hours?" 

"I was at a hole-in-the-wall lunch place a few miles outside of town. It was cute and my date was extremely charming." 

"Ahhh, perfect, sweetheart. Okay. Have a great life. Oh-and if you see the hall director, do not look in her direction whatsoever. It's for your own good." 

"Okay." 

You then soften your gaze and show her to the door and she leaves without saying a word. You start cleaning up the evidence of the past two hours so Carmilla doesn't throw an even bigger fit once she stops by. Getting yelled at over the phone is one thing, but you'd be lying if you said you're just as eager to taunt her in person as you are over the phone. The end result is much, much different and sadly not as ideal. 

Carmilla has been on your case about feeding and what not since the summer of last year, and you'd like to think she just decided to be more of an asshole out of boredom, but you're not naive. 50% of you wants to be naive though, because when something actually gets under her skin and tips her balance of civility, well, lets just say the amount of death and destruction that happens at and around Silas directly correlates with Carmilla's emotional state.  
You finish cleaning up and start looking through your calendar for the week when you hear a knock on the door. Damn that was fast. 

You look through the peephole. Definitely not Carmilla.  
You open the door. 

"Uhhh, Hi?" you say to a guy who looks about the same age as you, as in a little under 145 years, by the way he is dressed. 

 

"Yes, if I am not mistaken, you are William Luce, correct?"  
Ahhh. That explains it. 

British. 

"You are...?" You're completely confused and you know for sure that this guy isn't a part of of the Zeta's, and the fact that he knows your name doesn't quite sit well with you. 

"Oh! My apologies, my name is J.P. and I am your roommate for the fall and spring terms." He says as he starts picking up more things. He takes a step forward into the doorway, but you block his entrance. 

Uh, yeah, I'm not so sure about that. I think you've got the wrong room. This is a single, dude. Why don't you go to the front desk and talk to th- 

"Actually, there's no mistake," an unfortunately familiar voice says, walking up from behind J.P.. 

"This is your new roommate. My apologies for being late, Mr. Armitage, I had to escort a new resident to her room. She talks a lot," Carmilla takes a full breath and pauses for a moment before she smirks. 

"And just to be clear, this is a double room. So you'll need to separate the two beds you're using so your new roommate can settle in adequately. Welcome to Silas, J.P., and If you have any questions or anything, feel free to call the front desk or stop by and talk to me or a floor don." She says and then turns around to start walking back down the corridor. 

What the fuck? 

"Oh, okay then. Well, much obliged, Ms. Karnes!" 

He thanks her even though she's halfway down the hall and starts to gather his things to move into the room. 

"God fucking dammit, kitty." you mumble under your breath as you start walking down the hallway to catch up with her. It's useless, so you transmit yourself to her exact location in a single black cloud of smoke, hoping your new roommate was too busy moving in to see you dissipate into nothing. 

"What the hell was that?" You appear in front of her and she rolls her eyes as she walks right passed you. 

"Just a little damage control and prevention is all." She says as she makes her way down the stairwell to the first floor. "Sorry for the inconvenience." 

"Inconvenience? It's a goddamn invasion of privacy, dude! You know how much I need my own space." 

She chuckles and turns to face you as she gets to the bottom of the stairs. "It's not my fault your version of privacy is snacking on every sorority girl in Styria and making them wear scarves in the summer time. You're sloppy. Sorry _dude._ " 

You sigh. Fuck. She's not wrong. You are pretty sloppy. 

You want to say more but she's already gone and you guess you just have to deal with it. 

You get your car keys from your room and call your friends from the Zeta house to make plans for the night, not ready to share a room with a complete stranger just yet. 

\----------- 

\-----  
Laura  
\----- 

You make your way through the halls and corridors of the hall district finally, more exhausted from navigating them than you should be and call Danny to let her know you're on the way. 

"Hey, Danny. I'm leaving my room right now and I'll probably be there in 10 or 15. Send me the place so I can look up the location." You say as you exit the hall. 

You see Carmilla sitting on a ledge outside smoking a cigarette and what looks to be like staring at you. You're face does that thing again where it heats up and you quickly look away. 

"Why does she do that?" you angrily whisper to yourself. You're not exactly sure _what_ she does, but you know you hate it. And there you go, forgetting you were on the phone again. 

"Why does who do what? We're you even listening?" she asks, obviously frustrated. 

Yes! Sorry!!! Uhhhh-no one-I was talking about my car. It won't unlock. I got it though!! Sorry!" It sounded completely stupid coming out of your mouth, but it makes sense. It's you, after all. 

"It's fine. I'l text you the address and see you when you get here." She hangs up and you sigh. You start your car and head for the coffee shop. 

\---- 

"I tried everything." She starts again, and you try your best not to look like you've heard this over 20 times in two weeks. "I was there for you, I supported you, I protected you, I loved you, so much. I-" You cut her off. You need to stop having this same conversation. 

"Danny, stop, please." You pause for a second. 

You look at her pale face and notice she has bags under her eyes. It looks like she hasn't been sleeping and by the looks of her red, long hair all tied up in a bun, she probably hasn't had the energy to make herself up for a while. You calm down and try to make your words sound as sympathetic and caring as possible because you don't want to hurt her any more than you have. 

"You aren't getting it, and I can't keep trying to explain this to you. I know its hard, but-" You sigh again. 

"That's just it, Danny. Protected is the last thing I need to be right now. That's all I had back at home and I'm here now. I need change. I need to grow and move on with what has happened and I need to be with myself right now and there are some things that need to happen in my life that just can't happen when I'm attached to another person. This just isn't healthy for me right now. I love you. I really do. I like that you’re brave and strong and all kinds of righteous, but I don’t need a dad. I’ve already got that one covered." 

You can't help but start to tear up a little as you look at her face. She looks so broken and empty and you blame yourself. Maybe you could have said things differently, but you're tired of trying to say different versions of the same thing and you needed this to happen. 

Danny stands up from her seat and looks down at you. 

You can see her eyes tearing up and her face trying to fight them 

"If that's what you think, then so be it."she says with a shaky voice. 

She leaves you there in the coffee shop and you break down 

You never wanted it to end like this. You love Danny. You might not be _in_ love with her anymore but you care for her so deeply and this hurts. 

But you don't want to hurt anymore. 

You're so fucking tired of hurting and hurting people you love. You want to be done with hurt and emotions and maybe even people. You know you can't just cut all emotional ties with people, that would be unhealthy. You just don't feel like _feeling._

Right on queue your phone starts to ring 

Hey, Kirsch. I hope you don't get upset but I really don't think I'm in the mood to hang out tonight. I just talked with Danny and things didn't really go well." You say, blotting your eyes with a napkin, followed by taking a sip of your hot cocoa. 

"Aww, that's okay L! This dude totally understands. I was going to tell you about the new semester celebration party going down at the Zeta Omega Mu house tonight and thought it could cheer you up a little since it's going to be one of the biggest parties of the semester. But if you need to rest and think stuff out, that's cool with me! I'll miss you though. Call me in the morning and we can get breakfast? On me!" He says says excitedly. 

"Hmmmmmm" you hum into the phone. 

A party. 

With alcohol. 

It has been awhile...a _really_ long while. 

And you don't really feel like 'thinking stuff out' right now. 

You've done that enough. 

"Screw it. I'm sending you my location. Come pick me up, we're going." you hang up.


	3. The Daze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura attends the Zeta party to blow off some steam. Will isn't the fondest of Kirsch, but Kirsch is determined to be is friend. Carmilla meets a hot blonde and decides to let go for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the reads and kudos! I'm sorry if this story is a little slow, I'm trying to add as much context as I can to develop the characters well for the rest of the story. Don't worry though, It'll speed up next chapter. But I'm very sure you wont be disappointed at alllll with this one. Lol. My sister is an artist and wants to make some fan art for the fic to help promote it and stuff! If you have any good/cool ideas for it, give her some suggestions! She also reads a fuck ton of fic and she follows about every lgbtq+ ship. So Yeah! Follow that hoe @ hannabeanalynn.tumblr.com  
> If you're a supercorp lover then she has over 3,000 recommendations for you! Lol. Anyway, much love and happy reading!  
> TELL ME WHAT YA THINK OF THIS ONE.

Carmilla 

\------------ 

You take a much-needed smoke break outside and wait for the next resident to show up. Your thoughts wander to the Hollis girl and you can’t help but be curious-well, suspicious, of her attending Silas the year after her mother's disappearance. Assuming all she knows is what the officials and the media have given her, you know she doesn’t realize how dangerous of a place she brought herself to. And If she’s anything like her mother, she most likely doesn’t care. 

‘Dammit’ you whisper to yourself as you exhale smoke. ‘Why are you here?’ 

You know this makes things difficult on your end. You can’t just allow her to investigate something that could eventually get her killed. Well, you could. But this is your mess and you want it to be done with. You know you need to keep your distance, for the sake of keeping a low profile and secrecy, but you also can’t let her crawl too deep into this mess and you know she will try. 

You’re tired of living in the past, and especially _this_ past. You’re tired of this being your problem. But you did this to yourself. You take a drag of your cigarette and let your mind wander to a year ago for a while. 

You get off track with your thoughts when you hear the doors to the hall open. 

Speak of the tiny devil. 

She’s on the phone with someone but she’s obviously paying no attention to that because she’s watching you watching her as she walks down the steps. 

There is definitely something about her that catches your eye, and it’s not just the fact that she’s attractive and makes you laugh at how clumsy she is, physically and mentally. 

You can’t quite hear what she mumbles under her breath as she looks away from you, but she looks flustered and it makes you smirk. 

Why is that so easy? 

You shake your head and take another drag of your cigarette and your phone starts to buzz. 

“Mattie, I’ve been meaning to call you back.” You say, exhaling. 

“Oh, I’m sure you were, darling,” She starts, her voice reeking of regal sarcasm. 

“You don’t call, you don’t write, and you sure as hell don’t visit. Helsinki isn’t as fun without you here to help me paint it red, Mircalla. Quite literally too.” She laughs. 

“Oh, I know. I wish I could be there; things have just been...” You pause and take a drag. 

“Weird.” 

“Oh, yes? How so, my love?” She asks curiously, as always. 

You sigh. “I’d have to tell you in person. Let’s just say last year's mess most likely hasn’t ended. As if it ever had.” 

“That is astoundingly curious, and quite a coincidence.” 

“Huh?” You ask, confused. Mattie has always been a sucker for being as ambiguous as possible. 

“I’m coming to Styria next week. I have news. Try to keep a low profile ‘till I get there, if you can, sister,” She lets out a small laugh. “See you soon, love.” 

“Wait-Mattie-what are you-” She hangs up before you can finish. 

“What the hell?” 

You ash your cigarette out and start to walk up the steps to the hall just as the door opens and Will comes walking out. 

“What? Don’t like vintage British boys?” You ask with a smirk. 

“Piss off.” 

“C’mon Will. Don’t be so sensitive. You know you-” 

“Yeah yeah yeah, I’ll get over it. I’m going to the Zeta house for a welcome back party. If you weren’t such a pain in my ass I’d tell you to come with.” Now he’s the one smirking. 

“That sounds tempting, but I have a couple more people to check in. Maybe later. Just make sure not to take your food to-go.” 

He chuckles. “Make sure to actually make time to get some. Maybe you’d lighten up a little.” He walks off to his car and you shake your head. 

It has been awhile, but you’ve been trying to be discrete with yourself, and you guess it kind of _is_ making you a bit more of a bitch than usual. Being hungry nor sexually frustrated isn’t ideal for your mental state and the physical and emotional state of others around you. 

“Are you Carmilla Karns?” You hear from behind you and turn around to see a tall, attractive blonde standing behind you with a couple bags of what you assume are her things to move in with. You look her up and down with your signature gaze and smirk. 

Maybe you spoke too soon. 

“Fortunately, that is me sweetheart. Are you here to get checked in?” 

She smiles shyly but you see a hint of flirtatiousness as she looks at you. 

“That depends, are you checking me in?” 

Oh god. _Definitely_ not shy. 

“Let me take those bags and I can get your key and show you to your room.” 

You lead her to the front desk and have her fill out all the necessary paper work while you throw in all the necessary playful and taunting remarks to put her under your spell. 

It has definitely been awhile and wow, you almost forgot how fun it was. 

“Betty Spielsdorf?” 

“That’s me,” She smiles and winks at you and you think damn, this girl either must have had one long boring road trip to the campus or she is just unknowingly really into seductive vampires. You couldn’t care less either way. 

You tell her about the party at the Zeta’s going on later as you show her to her room and she immediately agrees to go with you and damn, was that easy. 

You go back to your room and read until the sun goes down, taking breaks when your mind starts to wander around the mystery behind Laura Hollis’s appearance. 

Your mind flashes back to her lectures in her occult studies class. You wonder if she ever told Laura the stories and ancient myths about demonology, or any supernatural or mystical beliefs. You could probably write a book on everything Dr. Hollis spoke about. You then think of her research and how invested she was, staying late every night and living on campus instead of ever going home to her family. Now that you know she had one... 

You wonder if it effected Laura, how absent she was. You can’t help but wonder if you knew her mother better than she did. 

Your mind then wanders to the day of her disappearance and assumed death. 

Does Laura accept it? 

Do you? 

\--------  
Will  
\-------- 

“Naaaah I live in the Honors District. I’d die if I had to live with these morons every day.” You say as you smirk and wink at the cute brunette so obviously flirting with you. 

“Oh!” She giggles. “I guess that means you’re pretty smart if you live over there, huh?” She says as she takes a step closer. ‘I’ve always wanted to see what it looks like on the inside.” 

“Well, how abou-” 

“WHAT THE HECK IS UP MY ZETA BROS??” A loud, obnoxious voice interrupts you. 

Jesus. 

You’re in the kitchen and you look around into the main room where all the people are and see a dirty blonde-haired frat boy with a beer in his hand raised up towards the ceiling. 

“Dude, half the people haven’t even shown up yet and you’re tossed. Wait-are you even a Zeta?” You look at him closer and noticed you’ve never seen him before. 

“Sorry bro! I’m just pumped! And not yet! I’m rushing this semester. Just wanted to meet my future frat bro’s!” 

His face literally looks like a golden retriever. 

“Okay, _bro_ , you do realize rushing and being a part of the Zeta’s are not exactly the same thing, right?” You laugh and shake your head. “Give me a break.” you mumble, loud enough for him to hear. 

His smile fades but he keeps somewhat of a smile. 

“Uh, sorry man. Didn’t mean to get all over the top about it. I’m Wilson Kirsch, and this is my friend Laura Hollis.” He introduces himself and puts out a hand to shake. 

It surprises you how he doesn’t seem to give up, given how much of an asshole you just were. 

The girl somewhat looks and sounds familiar, but you can’t quite put your finger on it. 

“Will Luce,” you ignore the hand shake and instead give him the casual ‘two finger’ wave. “This is my friend, uh,” 

There’s an awkward silence for a second before the girl standing next to you that you were about to invite back to your place realizes you can’t remember her name. 

Oops. 

“Sarah Jane!” She giggles. “But you can call me S.J.!” She steps towards Kirsch and offers her hand to shake, which he gladly accepts. 

“Wow! Nice to meet you S.J.! We should all hang out sometime.” Did he also just giggle? 

Looks like you’re not getting anywhere tonight. 

You walk towards the back door to get the bonfire going since more people are showing up and see that a group of people are already outside drinking and smoking while they wait for it to get started. You say hi to a few people you know and get a beer from the cooler to start your buzz. 

“Hey, asshole!” you hear someone whisper from behind a tree in the backyard by the fence line, and half of your beer spills out when you jump. Your fangs are out due to the adrenaline rush and you do your best to play it off like your wiping beer off your face. 

“What the fuck?” You look behind you and see a dark-haired girl smoking a cigarette. 

Of course, it’s Carmilla. 

“What the hell kitty?!” 

She laughed uncontrollably. “It still surprises me that in some textbooks you’re considered a demon of the night,” She says, coming out from around the tree. “If I weren’t already dead, I’d say, ‘you kill me.’” 

“Jesus, what do you want? I thought you had shit to do.” 

“Yeah, but then I thought about what you said and changed my mind. Well, a certain dime piece did the trick, actually. Well, maybe a nickel and a half piece. “ 

You can’t help but still be frustratingly confused and your face shows it. 

“Okay so that answers one of my questions. What do you want?” 

“I need you to cover for me. Do your little snake-y thing and make a distraction later.” She takes a drag. 

“And what makes you think I’ll do that?” 

She sighs. “I’ll let you bring those air head chicks to your room...once a week.” 

You smirk. “Fine. But just wait till tonight, this shit just started, and I’m not even buzzed yet thanks to you.” 

“Yeah yeah yeah,” She throws you an extra beer and dissipates into a cloud of smoke right as you catch it. 

You roll your eyes and start drinking the beer as you pick up firewood. At least she’s getting out and shit, you think. You must admit she’s a lot more fun when she’s not playing ‘parent’ and acting all broody and crap. 

“You makin’ a fire?” a familiar voice asks as you start throwing wood into the pit. 

“Ahh, Kirsch. Yeah I am.” You take another swig of beer. 

“Sweet! I love bonfires. Let me help you!” 

Is he always this excited? 

“Uhh, sure, there’s a bunch of brush and fallen limbs further back there in the trees.” 

“Awesome. So, what’s your major? Mine’s sports medicine.” 

The one thing you hate is small talk, but you feel slightly bad for how hard he’s trying. 

“Biochemical engineering.” You start walking towards the trees and he follows you. 

Yep, definitely a golden retriever. 

“Woah, you must be super smart. Do you live in that Honors District Hall place?” 

You nod your head and pick up more logs and branches. 

“That’s awesome. I have a friend that lives there so I’ll probably see you arou-SHIT!” 

You hear a crack and notice he’s on the ground. You then notice a branch cut his hand and drew a small amount of blood. 

“Damn, did you see that? It’s like the branch got pissed off and-woah, where’d you go?” 

IIt takes him a second to notice you’re by the fire because you transmitted yourself there after your fangs came out from the smell of his blood. 

“Oh, sorry about that! The fire was creating a lot of smoke, so I ran to throw these logs on!” 

Smooth. You sigh. 

“Oh, that’s okay! ‘Tis but a scratch!” 

You shake your head and let out a small laugh. 

This guy is a character. 

\------  
Carmilla  
\------ 

After you scare the shit out of Will at the party you make a whiskey-coke inside and talk to Betty. It’s mostly casual flirting and a bit of eye-banging and you’re good at that but you have to admit you’re a little bored after an hour of it. 

You lose focus when you see a tiny brown-haired girl talking to someone out of the corner of your eye. 

Laura. 

You roll your eyes because for some reason you feel overwhelmed by the amount that this girl has been in your head and you hardly know her. You don’t mind too much, well, because, jesus. _Look at her_. But there’s a giant mess in your life and she’s right in the center of it. 

You can tell she’s flirting with the girl she’s talking to because of how much she’s nervously smiling and swaying her body back and forth as she talks and, well, because you’ve been alive to understand more than the basics of body language and have experienced flirting enough to realize when it’s happening. 

They both seem pretty interested in each other and you think it might be because they both have drinks in their hands that don’t look mixed whatsoever. 

“Carmilla?” Betty says, and you realize it’s been way too long since you’ve payed attention to something that isn’t Laura. 

Oops. 

“Shit. I was just about to ask you if you wanted to take this upstairs, cutie.” 

“I thought you’d never ask” She smirks. 

You take her through the crowd of people playing beer pong and doing keg stands and she follows you up the stairs. Out of the corner of your eye you see Laura notice and she watches until you disappear from her view. 

As soon as you get into the room, you notice people in there, so you take her to the bathroom and she immediately pins you against the door and chuckles. “Thanks for inviting me. I really didn’t feel like staying in my room all cooped up after that long, boring car ride to Silas.” 

Ding, ding. You called it. 

You put your hands around her waist and use your strength to change positions as you spin her around and put her against the door instead. 

“Oh, it’s no problem at all. I can imagine how much pent up energy you have from driving all day. Would be a shame to put it to waste.” You smirk and lick your lips as she looks down at them, hungrily. 

“God, why are you so hot?” She wraps her arms around your neck and smiles while she moves her face closer. 

“It’s probably because we have all these clothes on, and the frat boys haven’t paid their bills yet for air conditioning. Maybe we should compromise, cutie.” You put your hands around the end of her shirt and pull her close as you bite at her lip and start pulling her shirt up. 

You aren’t exactly surprised when your fangs come out, but you lift up her shirt over her and by the time you take it off you have them under control. 

You take off yours as well, followed by picking her up and taking her to the sink counter top and she wraps her legs around you. 

She grabs you by the face and kisses you harshly and you have to try your best not to vamp-out on her, but you like a challenge. 

You slip in your tongue and she gives you hers in return and lets out a small moan. 

Jesus, this girl was definitely ready for this. 

You know Will saw you take her upstairs, so you don’t waste anytime unbuttoning her pants and slipping them off before he initiates a distraction. 

As soon as her pants are off you hold her face in her hands and gaze deeply into her eyes. 

“I’m going to bite you, and you’re not going to be afraid at all. In fact, you’ll probably even like it, cutie. I’m not going to hurt you; you can trust me. After this is over, you’ll say a snake bit you. People will believe it because the stupid frat boys keep one as a pet that they found outside. Just relax and enjoy,” You loosen your gaze and begin kissing her neck gently and gently sucking while you move your hands from her knees up her thighs. 

You pull back. “Now, where were we?” 

She grabs you by the waist and pulls you into her roughly and wraps her legs around you again, this time biting your lip and sucking on it. 

You thrust your body into hers and she lets out a moan into your mouth and this time you really can’t control your canines coming out. 

You slide your hands back up her thighs and as you do, she pulls you in closer with her legs. 

You slide your fingers through her underwear and slide them in her center right as you pierce your fangs into the side of her neck. 

“Oh my god,” She moans. “That does feels good.” 

Having her enjoy you sucking her blood throws you for a loop in the best way, so you thrust your fingers deeper into her as you suck harder at her veins and she drags her nails across your back. 

She throws her head back, giving you more space on her neck and you can’t help but let out a moan as she gasps in pleasure as you repeatedly thrust yourself into her as you take her in. 

It doesn’t take long for you to send her over the edge and when you do she slips from the sink counter as she slips her pants back on and you catch her just before she hits the ground. 

She’s laughing and says “Wow, that was amazing.” and you smirk and just as you’re about to help her up you hear the hissing of a snake. 

That would be Will. 

Betty screams. “OH MY GOD-CARM-SNAKE!!! GET IT OUT!” 

You try your best to act alarmed, so you grab your shirt and open the door to grab someone and when you do, you wait for them to rush up the stairs into the bathroom as you transmit yourself out to the front of the house. 

You stand by the side of the house while you put your shirt on as people come rushing out of the front door and seconds later will appears in front of you. 

“Jesus. You dazed her, right? That was one hell of a bite.” 

“Of course I did. Not everyone's as empty-headed as you,” You chuckle. “Thanks for helping.” 

“Yeah yeah. Don’t mention it.” He smirks and then you both here a girl obnoxiously yelling 

“WAS THAT A SNAKE? I WANNA SEE IT! WHY CAN’T I GO SEE IT MY DAD NEVER LETS ME LOOK AT SNAKES!” 

You peek from the side of the house and notice Laura is indeed the drunk girl raising her voice. 

“IM SO DRUNK. DANNY WOULD HATE THIS. SHE ALWAYS HATED IT WHEN I DRANK. THAT’S ONE REASON WE HAD TO BREAK UP, RIGHT KIRSCH? I NEED YOUR SUPPORT.” 

Danny? 

You are just as confused as Will but you let out a small surprised laugh at how drunk Laura is, definitely not expecting that. 

“Hey, her names Laura, right? Isn’t that the daughter of-” 

Poof. 

You dissipate and appear in your room, really not wanting to have that conversation at the moment. You go to the Honors Halls’ café and make yourself a cup of coffee. You pick out a book from the “Take-It-or-Leave-It shelf and relax for a bit before the sun starts to come up. 

\----------- 

Laura 

\----------- 

“KIRSCH! THIS IS WHERE I LIVE, I LIVE THERE! Stop here!!” 

“Laura, I know where the Honors District is, you don’t have to command me to stop lil drunkie.” 

“Oh! Sorry! I didn’t know. Thank you for driving me home. Oh! And taking me to that party. I needed this.” 

“No problem L. Walk safe! I would walk you in, but guests aren’t allowed past curfew!” 

“It’s okay!! I’m really good at walking. AND running! I ran track in High school!” 

“I know you did. We went to high school together.” He laughs. 

“OH right. Okay, bye Kirsch.” 

You stumble out of his car and make your way up the stairs. Once you enter the hall you see passed the front desk that Carmilla is sitting at the Café. 

“I saw you!!” you whisper loudly 

She raises her eyebrow as she puts down her cup of coffee and book. 

“Uhh, yeah?” 

You can tell she’s confused. 

“You had that really awesome outfit on and I was like _‘woah’_ ” 

“Ah,” She nods her head slowly. “Glad you thought so, creampuff.” 

“Are you reading?” You slur. 

“Uhh, yes I am.” 

“I didn’t know mean people read books.” 

She tries to hold in a laugh as best as she can but she loses. 

“I didn’t know such a tightly wound girl could get drunk.” 

“I AM NOT tightly wound.” 

“Okay, sundance. Whatever you say.” She smirks and holds her gaze for a second. 

“I, uh, you-I need to sleep.” You stumble out the words and she tilts her head a bit. 

“That’s probably a good idea.” She says and watches you ask you start walking out of the Café. 

Then it dawns on you and you turn around to face her. 

“I dunno how to get to my room.”


	4. Ignorance is Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Laura spends her hangover doing research on the campus and cant seem to find jack shit.  
> She also attends her first day of classes, learning that Carmilla is her history TA, and discovers something she never expected.  
> Carmilla is suspicious of her History professor she is working under.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being a day late, guys. First of all this chapter was kind of hard to write with how much I drank this weekend. I spent most of it hungover and doing end of semester work. This chapter was also just really important for me to get it executed the way I wanted it, and I ended up getting writers block over and over. But alas, it prevails! Hope you enjoy and please tell me what you think! Again, thanks for all the kudos and reads!

You wake up to the feeling of light mist on your skin and what seems like the smell of burning sage. 

“Perry! You’re going to wake her up,” A voice aggressively whispers. “and enough with the holy water! Where did you even get that anyway?” 

“I will not have my best friend living amongst the dead with no form of spiritual protection! And if you must know...Amazon.” 

Amongst the dead...? You make a mental note. 

“You’re not even spiritual! You don’t even believe in-” 

“Hush.” 

You fake an audible yawn, enough to cease whatever argument is stirring that you don’t wish to be in the presence of. 

Silence prevails and you open your eyes, rolling over to see two red headed figures staring blankly at you-one with a spray bottle of holy water pointed at the other, who you assume notices the confusion on your face because they shift their eyes to the threatening bottle and gently lower the nozzle to point at the floor instead of their face. 

“I’m Lola Perry, your floor don.” She says as she extends one hand out for you to shake, the bottle still in the other. 

“Laura,” you smile and return the gesture. “Did I hear something about ‘living amongst the dead’?” 

“Uhh, yeah,” the shorter and less intimidating red head starts. “You don’t remember the conversation from last night? That broody asshole-y chick that basically carried you to our room-” 

“Oh my god. Oh my god,” Your memory from last night starts to come back to you and you wince in embarrassment. “I’m so sorry, I-” 

“No, don’t worry about all that. Actually, it was pretty entertaining. Your friend was a bit on the dry, uncivil side, though.” 

“She’s not my friend. I hardly know her. She’s the honors hall director.” You say quickly, surprising yourself at how fast you were to deny any type of friendship with Carmilla. You’ve only known her for less than a full day, anyway, and you know nothing about her except for that she’s a lippy smoker. 

“Oh. Great.” Perry mutters as she puts a hand on her hip. “The hall is haunted _and_ my boss is a manner-less brute. I’m so excited for my new job!” She angerly flails her hands in the air and quickly walks to the kitchen, leaving an awkward silence in the room. 

“Anyway...” the other redhead starts with a sigh. “Yeah, your ‘not-friend’ hall director said something about the honors college being built over burial grounds from the 1600’s. That and something about curses and witches and ghost and, well, you know, that kind of stuff. Which honestly excited me but Perry-not so much. But you know that from, well, the spray bottle full of holy water and burning sage. Perry doesn’t believe in that kind of stuff but she’s kind of a mom when it comes to making sure things are...safe of, well, anything universally possible. And that pretty much sums her up. Oh. And brownies.” 

“Brownies?” you ask in confusion and awe of how much was spoken in one breath. 

“Yes! Here we are,” Perry comes speed-walking from the kitchen in oven mits with a plate of freshly baked brownies. 

“I like to make brownies while I clean. Want one?” She smiles a little too intensely, and you look over and see that the other redhead is looking at you with a face that you assume means ‘She’s crazy. _Just go with it_.’ 

You can’t deny after the long night you had that a brownie doesn’t sound like the perfect antidote. You stand up from your bed and immediately get light headed, not to mention your head is also pounding. 

That would be the hangover. 

Perry notices your painful struggle and hands you a brownie. “Chocolate is the best cure for a hangover, sweetie. There’s also a hot cocoa machine downstairs in the café. You should make yourself a cup.” When she finishes talking, she takes a bite out of a brownie followed by offering her friend one as well. 

“Ah, yes. Thanks Per. By the way Laura, my name is Lafontaine, but you probably already know that otherwise I feel like this whole morning would have gone a tad more awkwardly.” 

You let out a small laugh. “Yeah, the hall director told me you’d be coming this morning. It’s nice to meet you.” you give them a warm smile. “I’m probably gonna wait to eat this until I have some hot cocoa, ‘cause that combination sounds honestly amazing right now. Would you guys like any?” 

They both shake their heads. “Nah, we’re good, but we will happily guard your brownie for you until you return safely.” Lafontaine jokes. 

“Sounds perfect.” 

You leave the brownie on your nightstand, put on your favorite Doctor-Who slippers and make your way through the maze of hallways and get lost only a couple of times before you actually reach the lobby. You see a familiar blonde-haired girl working the front desk, but you can’t quite remember where you’ve seen her. 

“Coffee break for the hangover?” She asks from the lobby as you start the machine to heat the water. 

“Uhhh,” you tilt your head in confusion until it finally hits you that she was the girl at the party you saw with Carmilla. “Oh! Hot cocoa, but yes, unfortunately.” 

You then remember seeing Carmilla take her upstairs at the party, shortly followed by the blonde girl running down the stairs half naked yelling about a snake. 

“That was a pretty crazy party. I can’t say I remember much after the whole snake bite incident. “ 

“Wait, the snake actually bit you?” 

“Yep,” She moves her hair to reveal two distinct bite marks on the side of her neck. 

“Stupid Zeta guys let it out to play apparently. Doctors said I lost a lot of blood for how small the wound was.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Kinda didn’t feel like asking any more questions after that.” 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. Are they giving you medication for it?” You’re stunned at her words, yet you feel slightly suspicious of how nonchalant she seems about the incident. 

“Just antibiotics. It surprisingly isn’t causing me any pain at all. The only thing that hurt me last night was when my date left me alone in a bathroom with a snake and was never to be seen again. Lucky me I guess.” 

“Wow. Sounds like a complete asshole.” You laugh to yourself in your head because you know you’re right; it _is_ Carmilla after all. 

“Basically.” she says with a sigh. The hot water machine beeps and you make yourself a cup, trying your best to refrain from drinking it while it's still piping hot. 

As you pass through the lobby, the girl waves. 

“I’m Betty by the way, I’ll probably be seeing more of you since I work the day shifts.” 

You smile. “Laura. See you around.” 

You’re a little too hungover for small talk, so you and your slippers shuffle through the lobby and back up the stairwells to the third floor. 

It takes you about five minutes shorter to get to your destination than the first time you got lost, and you make a mental note to remember your success as you eat your brownie and drink your hot cocoa to celebrate. 

You notice the room is empty when you get back and you can’t help but be excited to endure your hangover alone in your own bed. 

\---- 

You spend most of the day lounging in bed, watching episodes of Sherlock and Buffy the Vampire Slayer as you sip on your hot cocoa and eat half the plate of Perry’s brownies that are fucking delicious. You definitely make a mental note of that. You also indulge in taking a nap, that is, until your phone ringing wakes you up and you realize you forgot to call your dad once you arrived on campus yesterday. After a good twenty minutes of being lectured on the importance of communication and “How do I know you’re not dead? OR WORSE?” And whatever that means, you do some research on the campus for the rest of the day, trying to figure out what the whole nonsense about living under a burial ground is all about. Surprisingly, there’s not much about Silas or the history of the honors district before it was made into a dormitory hall, so you have to result to a more primitive investigative work style: Snooping around and asking questions. You also plan to visit the library to do some real digging on this place. 

\-----------  
Carmilla  
\------------ 

You head out of the hall, making sure not to make eye contact with Betty on the way out. You hear her scoff once you reach the doors and you think you really should have checked who the new desk attendants were before you decided to screw and feed off of one. 

You’d almost be excited for your first day of work if it were Dr. Huber you’d be assisting but the department thought it’d be nice for you to continue your graduate work under someone new and fresh minded. Which is total bullshit because it’s a history course. Since when is history fresh? 

You walk into the lecture hall and see a woman writing on the white board. She’s brunette, wearing the usual new teacher pencil skirt and free flowing white blouse. You shift your eyes to the board and a sort of eerie feeling overcomes you. 

‘Dr. Valdis’ 

The surname is inexplicitly familiar, and you try to think of where you’ve heard or seen it before. The name itself you know derives from Old Norse vernacular, but you haven’t touched up on anything that archaic in a while. 

“You must be Ms. Karns.” She says as she notices you staring intently at the name written on the board. 

You shift your eyes towards her and notice she’s wearing cat eye shaped glasses that bring out her distinct facial features and her sharp jaw line. I guess “fresh” would only be fitting for her since she’s about 40 years younger than Dr. Huber. 

“That would be me. You can call me Carmilla.” 

She smirks and offers you her hand to shake, 

For some reason you are hesitant to return the gesture, only out of skepticism, but you might as well be professional since this _is_ your job. 

“Pleasure to be working under you this semester.” You say, holding eye contact until she releases her hand. 

“I’m sure we will learn very much from each other over the next few months.” 

You notice her slight Icelandic accent and that’s all you need to know about the origins of her name to figure out the rest in your own time. You can’t help but be slightly suspicious of how her tone inferred that she knows something that you don’t. 

You don’t like that very much. 

You glance at her for a few seconds, trying to figure out something-anything about this woman just from the way she holds herself. 

You give her a fake, friendly smile and take your seat at the front of the class when students start to enter the room. 

You watch Dr. Valdis walk back to her desk to starts sorting her things together when you hear an unfortunately familiar voice intrude your personal 10ft radius bubble. 

“Oh. I didn’t know you were a TA for this course.” Perry says in her best high-pitched, fidgety voice. 

“Well, you do now, tampon-top.” 

She looks absolutely mortified by the comment and stomps away ferociously to a seat in the front of the room as you hold back a smirk as best as you can. 

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re kind of an _asshole_?” 

You turn your attention to Laura, who has a hand on her hip and her usual bunched up face. 

“Ah, thought that was you, cupcake. Is that the way you thank the person who carried you up three flights of stairwells and through countless hallways to get you back safely to your room of annoying carrot-topped friends?” You smirk and her face turns from vexed to absolutely distraught in half a second. 

“I-” 

“But actually, yes. I have been told. By you, on four different occasions that night, actually. I think that was the first time you’ve ever gotten your point across in incomplete sentences if I’m being honest.” You smirk even more when her face turns beat red. 

“I-I did _not_ cal-” 

“Oh yes you did, cupcake. But it’s no big deal, if anything it was quite entertaining how easily wound-up you got.” 

It was pretty damn cute too, if you do say so yourself. 

She scoffs. 

Well, I hope I _did_ get my point across; _someone_ needs to deflate that smug, narcissistic ego of yours.” 

You laugh. “Wow, someone's learning now. I have to admit, though, cupcake, I’m a bit sad now seeing I can’t always leave you speechless. Hearing you fire back kind of wounds me.” 

Her face flushes again and you try to hide the smug look she seems to hate so much but you can’t-she’s kind of adorable, in an incredibly discomposed way. 

She scoffs as she walks away shaking her head in the most agitated manner. You have to admit, it’s getting a little too fun getting under her skin this way. 

“Alright, students, looks like everyone’s seated so let’s get started,” Dr. Valdis starts. 

As she introduces herself, you can’t help but retreat into your brain, thinking back to the other day of what Mattie could have been talking about on the phone. Something tying back to a year ago must not be over and the thought of that gives you quite a headache. If the past isn’t in the past, that means you have shit to do. Which also means no one is really safe at Silas. 

Especially Laura. 

“Ms. Karns?” Dr. Valdis asks, breaking you out of your trance. “Introduce yourself, if you will.” 

“Right. You can call me Carmilla, I’m your TA for this course. If you have any questions, ask a classmate, and if they don’t know, check a history book. If you can’t figure it out yourself, my office is in-” 

You pause for a second, knowing the consequences of the rest of the sentence. 

“the Occult Studies building.” 

You shift your eyes to Laura who looks at you in complete confoundment, with good reason. She doesn’t know anything about the role you played in her mother's life, and you hope she never does, but alas, she is her mother’s daughter and you’re not naïve enough to think she won’t find out for herself. 

Laura’s eyes stay on you for at least 5 seconds before you look away, taking a deep breath. 

Shit. 

\-----  
Laura  
\------ 

“the Occult Studies building.” 

Your face freezes and your breathing stops. 

The Occult Studies Building. 

That’s where your mother worked. 

That’s where she basically lived. 

And that’s where she was last seen. 

Did she know Carmilla? 

Your eyes are glued on Carmilla and your brain is moving at a million miles per second as you are completely taken aback. 

You know nothing about this girl. You can’t find any information about this school and even when your mother died, there was hardly any detailed sources on the day of her death. You wanted to accept that and have her death be in the past. You wanted it to be over, but you can’t help thinking that there’s something eerie and uncanny about this place she spent all her years in, and _especially_ your mothers past life. You didn’t get to be a part of over a half of her life, but you suddenly feel a need to question every part of it _and_ this school to figure out the truths they kept so well hidden. 

Carmilla looks away, and that’s when you know. 

She’s hiding something. 

\--------- 

After your evening class you eagerly rush back to your room and shut the door. You take a quick shower, or what you thought was going to be a quick shower until you got lost in your head for about 45 minutes thinking about your mothers past. You think about the college and how it put such a spell over her for so many years of her life. You know there are so many things that you need to figure out, so you plan to wait until most of the campus is closed and asleep to do your snooping. 

Once you get out of the shower and get dressed in your favorite investigative attire, you put a notebook, laptop, three pencils, pepper spray and 6 bobby pins you’ll use as lockpicks into your backpack. You put on a black beanie and your favorite pair of penny loafers you reserve for anything ‘journalism’ and ‘snooping’ related (they’re also extra quiet to walk in and you love being stealthy). You speed walk down the stairs and through the hallways to the lobby of the honors hall and see Perry working the front desk. 

“You look like you’re in a rush. Some late-night event I didn’t know about?” 

“Nope!” You say as you exit the doors, too involved in your own head and what you’re about to do to stop to chat. 

You walk down the steps and instantly smell cigarette smoke. You look over and see Carmilla leaning against one of the pillars. 

She looks at you and for a second you want to confront her-but you don’t. You have work to do. You keep moving to your first destination-the Occult Studies building. 

\--------  
Carmilla  
\-------- 

You see Laura basically run down the steps of the hall district. You check the clock tower at the top of the honors hall- 

**1:30am**

You look back at her and see that she is staring at you. It looks like she wants to say something but she turns her head and keeps walking. 

“Where are you going?” you whisper, followed by taking a pull from your cigarette. 

You see her going towards the educational buildings and then it hits you and you know. This is all looking way too familiar. 

“Fuck.” you say as you put your cigarette out. You put the hood of your black jacket over your head and start following, slowly behind her. 

“God fucking dammit, Hollis.”


End file.
